Federal authorities monitoring large cash movements at U.S. airports have identified an unexpected Midwest hub: John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
Homeland Security officials say repeated TSA alerts flagged outbound luggage carrying substantial sums, prompting investigators to map both the origin and final destinations of the funds.
Officials described Columbus as a central aggregation point within a broader national network.
Its mid-sized facilities and frequent domestic connections allowed couriers to gather cash from Somali communities across the Midwest and South before sending it to major international gateways.
Authorities emphasized that the airport itself is not implicated in any wrongdoing.
Records show that roughly $136 million in declared cash passed through Columbus beginning in November 2023.
Sources familiar with the investigation said U.S. citizens of Somali origin transported the money on flights to Minneapolis or Atlanta, widening the footprint of a network previously centered in Minnesota.
Investigators identified a recurring international route once the cash reached Minnesota.
“Typically, when they go to Minneapolis, they drop off the cash and then a subsequent courier travels abroad from Minneapolis to Dubai through Amsterdam,” an official familiar with the probe told Just the News.
U.S. authorities frequently lose track of the funds once they leave Europe.
Resist the Mainstream reported last week that TSA data showed that nearly $700 million in declared cash moved through Minneapolis-area airports during 2024 and 2025.
Officials said these flows were roughly 90 to 99 times larger than similar movements at major hubs, including New York’s JFK, Seattle and Atlanta, drawing heightened scrutiny from investigators.
Federal regulations require travelers to report amounts exceeding $10,000 to U.S. Customs and Border Protection via FinCEN Form 105. Failure to comply can lead to civil fines, seizure of funds, or criminal prosecution.
These reporting requirements, part of anti-money-laundering laws, are designed to prevent illicit proceeds from bypassing oversight.
While legally declared transfers are allowed, concealing amounts above the threshold is considered a federal crime.
CBP routinely seizes unreported currency and coordinates with other Homeland Security components to detect patterns associated with fraud, money laundering or organized crime.
Sources said alerts tracking these cash flows were generated consistently during the Biden administration but often received limited follow-up.
After President Donald Trump took office, federal agencies shifted priorities, placing greater emphasis on transnational cash transfers and large-scale financial fraud.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said the investigation may uncover activity far beyond what has been publicly reported.
Speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Paul said his committee is examining whether the shipments were linked to criminal fraud.
“So I think we are at the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
The probe intersects with a federal welfare fraud case in Minnesota, where authorities allege up to $9 billion in taxpayer funds were misappropriated, much of it flowing to Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis area.
More than 90 defendants have been indicted, with roughly half already convicted. Officials have not confirmed a direct connection between the Columbus cash movements and the welfare case.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) said that whistleblowers within state government are cooperating with investigators and preparing sworn testimony.
Emmer alleged that Gov. Tim Walz ignored repeated warnings about fraud and retaliated against employees who raised concerns—claims Walz has denied.
“That my friend should be enough for criminal charges,” Emmer said, while noting that authorities will ultimately determine any legal consequences.
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